Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a life preserver, and more specifically to an improved life preserver for use in an aircraft which improved life preserver may be automatically inflated in an emergency to act as an impact cushioning device, and which may subsequently be collapsed and removed from the aircraft, and later reinflated to act as a wearable water flotation life preserver device.
Quickly inflatable pillow-like impact cushioning air bags have found application in land vehicles including cars and trucks to cushion the impact to a passenger located behind the air bag in a head-on or frontal collision. Such air bags, which are permanently connected to their containers and may be reused after deployment, are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,748,477 and 3,779,577.
Although many air passengers are injured every year in rough weather incidents and unexpectedly bumpy landings, air bags have not found application in aircraft. The back of aircraft seats is typically made of hard plastic, which accounts for many of the afore-mentioned injuries. Aircraft traveling over water are required to carry life preservers, which are typically either seat cushions which float and have straps attached to them, as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,762,766, or conventional Mae West type life preservers, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,345,657, as well as inflatable emergency slides and rafts, as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,679,025.
As an example of a primitive attempt to adapt air bags for use in aircraft, U.S. Pat. No. 3,603,535 teaches the use of inflatable flat panels located on seats, bulkheads, and baggage racks. Such a device is of no use as a flotation device. U.S. Pat. No. 3,243,822 discloses an inflatable life jacket to be put on by aircraft passengers and inflated before a collision. This device is impractical since it does not deploy automatically and quickly, and it also has the problems of excessive bulk, inconvenience, and the suggestion of danger likely to cause panic among passengers. Other such devices which must be worn are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 462,291, 3,105,981, and 3,895,396.
The need for a inflatable personal safety device which will both protect aircraft passengers from the jolting associated with very rough weather and the shock of crashes, and will also function as a personal flotation device in case of a ditching in the water has been felt for some time. A solution to this need was presented in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 632,049, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,565,535; entitled "Improved Life Preserver Device" and invented by the inventor of the present invention, which patent application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
In this reference an inflatable air bag is used both as an impact cushion in the event of a plane crash and as a life preserver in the event of a ditching in the water. The inflated bag is removed from its connection to a seat back after deployment, and worn by an aircraft passenger thereafter during exit from the aircraft and subsequent immersion into the water.
Unfortunately, this otherwise remarkable invention has one major disadvantage, namely that it is too bulky after deployment, making it difficult to use after the aircraft has landed in the water. The bulk of the inflated air bag makes it difficult to put on, and even more difficult to exit the aircraft while wearing the bag. As might be expected, when an aircraft is in the water, time is of the essence, and the large number of passengers all wearing the bulky developed devices while trying to leave the aircraft, possibly with the aircraft in the process of sinking, will inevitably result in a traffic jam with possible fatal consequences.
It is therefore apparent that any flotation device must be deflated and compact until the passengers leave the aircraft. If a device is to function as both an impact cushion and a life preserver, it must automatically deploy under certain conditions, and then deflate to allow passengers to exit the aircraft. Following this, the device must then reinflate quickly to operate as a life preserver.